Ransom
by AlwaysOlivia
Summary: Riku had been avoiding those rich snobs for a whole year now, but when a mysterious cult leader begins to threaten the wealthy folk of Japan, she has no choice but to help. After all, The Raven always aids the needy. But a certain someone comes along and sees right through her tough exterior and gives her some... tingly feelings. Kyouya x OC. Contains violence and guns
1. Chapter 1

Men and women alike were gathering. They came from all over Japan by old beaten up cars, cheap public transportation, or by good old-fashion walking. Most were weary as they approached the ominous and dark building that rose up from the ground. On its face, just above the huge warehouse doors, was a black banner with a single horizontal stripe painted in red. No one knew why they were meeting at the infamous and abandoned Takayuma Warehouse, but none protested as they milled into the structurally unsound building.

All of the people who were gathered had one thing in common; they wanted money. Posters had been plastered in all of the most poverty-stricken areas, advertising a new and enlightened path to wealth. And now the desperate and penniless were mobbing and crowding each other in the warehouse in front of the rickety wooden stage that had been built specifically for this event.

A man stepped up to the podium. He was tall, lean, and dressed in all black. Not an inch of his skin showed; his hands were gloved, his face covered by a red plastic mask that had two dark circles for his eyes and two oval slits for his nose. A black cowl over his long-sleeved shirt covered his hair and neck.

He spread his arms as he faced the crowd. Instantly, all chatter ceased and a hush fell over the people.

"Friends," He said, his voice high and gravelly. "Yes, that is correct. Just by coming here today, you have shown me that I can put my faith into you and your judgment. And for that, I call you friends."

He looked out to the hundreds, nearly thousands, of people. It was impossible to know whether or not he was pleased, but his tone sounded delighted as he continued to speak. "All of you have something of worth to me. It is something you will need if you are to become enlightened. You will be rich beyond your wildest dreams, living in the lap of luxury because each and every one of you has this—motivation. Drive, purpose, incentive; whatever you want to call it. And with this motivation I, Kyofu, will lead you. I will lead you to happiness and glory. All you have to do is join me."

Without warning, Kyofu snatched the microphone off of the podium. In one hand, he crushed it. The metal gave in to his strength as easily as if it were Play-Doh. Kyofu let the short-circuiting ball of plastic and metal fall to the ground, and with a voice that was louder than it had been with the microphone, he shouted to the crowd:

"Together, we will rise as Torinozuko!"

XXX

Chairman Suoh nearly jumped up when there was a knock at his office door. "Come in," He called a little breathlessly.

His personal assistant, Michio Kawazu, entered the office and closed the door behind him. He took off his hat and wrung it in his hands nervously. "Sir…"

"What is it, Kawazu? I'm busy." Suoh said, turning his attention back to the files he'd just pulled from storage. There had to be information on him in there _somewhere_.

"Sir," Kawazu said again, this time more urgently. "The Haninozuka's representative came back last night."

"As he was supposed to. Why is this important, Kawazu?"

"He was completely brainwashed, sir. He was barely coherent—babbling about riches and enlightenment. We've yet to bring him back to comprehension. They're afraid it could be too late."

Suoh looked up at his assistant with wide eyes. Kawazu continued to wring his cap, looking everywhere but at his boss. A full minute passed as Suoh processed this new piece of information. He stared down at the file on his desk. It held only a single frustrating piece of paper. Suoh slammed his fist down onto the picture printed on the page.

Kawazu coughed nervously, and Suoh glowered up again. "There's more?"

"Um, yes sir," Kawazu said. Everything about him was tired; his eyes, his stance, his voice. "The… the rumors have been confirmed."

The chairman's eyes widened as he ran a hand through his thinning hair. "Oh dear," He whispered. "Kawazu, you are excused." He said abruptly, getting up from his desk and hastening to his grey file cabinet. The assistant bowed and nearly ran out of the office.

Yoshiro Suoh opened the drawer and pulled out a manila folder that was almost as empty the first one. This one was home to a stack of newspaper clippings, blurry traffic-cam picture's, sketch artists' drawings, and eyewitness accounts complete with excruciatingly vague descriptions of someone who shouldn't exist. This file happened to also be very frustrating to Suoh. He sighed, running a hand over his face.

He pressed a button on his telephone that would put him through to his receptionist. "Fumi, get Ootori on the phone." Suoh clenched his teeth. "Tell him we need the Raven."

XXX

The Raven told everyone she met that her name was Riku Karasu. Things were just easier that way. No one needed to know her real name, and certainly no one needed to know that she was the Raven. Then again, it was pretty risky of her to choose a last name that actually meant _raven_, but so far, no one that didn't already know her had been able to put the pieces together.

Riku was squatting on the roof of the Ootori mansion. All of the lights were off, so she knew the family wasn't in yet. They were probably off doing some rich person thing, like horseback riding or buying fancy crap at an auction. Riku was mildly surprised. She'd clarified that she'd be there before seven o'clock that evening, and that if she wasn't inside the house by seven, she'd be gone. Now here she was at 6:55 and there were no Ootori's in sight.

Just as she was about to leave, Riku saw a limousine pull into the mansion's long driveway. She smirked and watched as the Ootori family spilled elegantly out of the vehicle, dressed in semi-formal designer clothes. The head of the family—the one who contacted Riku—was there; as well as his wife, their daughter and a boy Riku believed to the youngest son. The Raven took a moment to appreciate the fact that he was quite the looker. Hopefully she wouldn't have to end up killing him.

Riku was about to leap down from the roof to meet them, when another person caught her eye. Three persons, actually. Emerging from the limo was a man she recognized as Yuzuru Suoh; someone Riku genuinely liked, although the feeling was not mutual. Following behind was his mother, Shizue Suoh, and his son, who's name Riku did not know.

As the large group made their way towards the front door, Riku pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and her domino mask down over her eyes. She was ready to say hi. All she needed was for them to get a little closer to where she was perched…

Riku hopped down from the two-story building, landing right in front of the group of socialites and effectively making all of them jump, with the exception of Shizue, Ootori, and his son. She dusted herself off of dirt that wasn't there and grinned at them all.

"Yoshio Ootori, my dear friend! And Yuzuru too. I wasn't expecting you to be here," The Raven pulled a handgun from its holster on her waist. With a disgustingly sweet smile, she cocked it and put both hands on her hips, still holding the gun. "Now tell me what you want, and give me one good reason why I shouldn't trap you in your home and set the place on fire."

XXX

"So wait, let me get this straight. This guy is forming a cult? He's brainwashing people and you think he's after all you Richies here in Japan? You're paranoid." Riku jeered. "Or full of yourselves. I'm gonna go with both, actually."

She, Yoshio, and Shizue were seated around a conference table in one of the Ootori mansion's many large rooms. Riku guessed that Yoshio held a lot of meetings in his home; otherwise he wouldn't need this whole office-y set-up. As for Yuzuru, he was up and pacing around the room apprehensively, like he'd had too much coffee.

"Yo Suoh, calm down. You're going to form a rut." Riku frowned at him from her chair.

"You pulled a gun on my son!" He shouted, pointing an angry finger at her. "Don't tell _me _to calm down!"

After Riku had drawn her gun in front of the house, two members of the Ootori's Private Police Force had appeared and aimed their pistols right at Riku's heart. Since he looked like the weakest of the bunch, Riku had grabbed Suoh's son and pressed the barrel of her gun to his temple, effectively using him as a human shield.

"Yoshiro! I thought you said no police." She had tutted, ignoring the Suoh boy's whimpers. "Dishonesty is such an ugly trait."

Ootori had hastily waived off his guards, and Riku had immediately released the boy. It wasn't her fault he had fainted.

"You should try not to dwell on the past so much, Yuzuru. It's bad for your skin." Riku said, unconcerned.

"Miss Karasu. This is a serious matter." Shizue said. "The mastermind behind all of this is called Kyofu. We know for certain that he has been planning to overthrow people of our social status for a very long time now."

"He is keen on the concept of anarchy." Yoshiro chimed in. "We don't know his plan exactly, but we do know that he's began training hundreds of civilians to fight against authority. It's been rumored that he plans on kidnapping relatives of wealthy businessmen and holding them for ransom. We believe Kyofu's ultimate goal is to take money from us and keep it for himself."

"So? What do you want me to do?" Riku yawned.

"We found out one of his targets: our very own Ouran Academy. That's where you come in." Suoh said sternly, having finally calmed down and taken a seat. "Your job will be to attend classes, and at the same time protect the children at the school. We have you there because you'll fit in with your fellow teenagers. You won't cause alarm like a team of men in uniform would. We'd like to keep this a secret from the students and their parents, for safety reasons. And it's unlikely that he'll send more than five men to the academy at any given time. We know you can twice that many foes at once."

Riku's jaw dropped. "You want me to attend high school?"

"Yes. But not to learn." Suoh leaned forward. "To protect."

Riku leaned forward too. "And what if I say no? Maybe I'm on this Kyofu guy's side. Maybe I want to overthrow the wealthy too?" She sneered.

"I do believe we have enough dirt on you to plant a healthy garden, Miss Karasu." Shizue said lethargically. "We've gone these past few years without informing the federal police of your whereabouts, but if you don't help us, we may have to forget about our little deal."

Riku chewed on her bottom lip. It was great, living how she did. Only a few people knew exactly where she lived, making it incredibly hard for the authorities to track her down for her crimes. The Ootori's and Suoh's were letting her do _whatever she wanted_ as long as she stopped messing with their businesses. Did Riku really want to give all that up?

"Fine. I'll help." She sighed and stood up from the table. "But don't think I'm going soft for giving in so easily! I need something to do during the day, alright? That's why I'm doing it. Suoh, send me my school stuff when you get a chance. You know where to find me."

"Wait, Karasu!" He stopped her from exiting the room by putting a hand on her shoulder. "I have a favor to ask."

"What?"

"My son—the one you almost shot today—he runs an after school club every day. A Host Club."

"You want me to stay after school and make sure he's safe during his little club too?"

Suoh actually looked sheepish.

"Okay," Riku said.

"Okay? You'll do it?" He looked shocked.

"Sure. Whatever. Just send me the details with the school stuff." Riku gave the chairman a funny look before disappearing through the door, out of the mansion, and into the cool, dark night.


	2. Chapter 2

"You know, I didn't know a uniform was a part of the deal," Riku grumbled. She was sitting in the Chairman's office, feeling extremely ridiculous in the obnoxious yellow dress. There was absolutely no way Riku would be able to look tough in that outfit and she knew it. No one would take her seriously even if she tried.

Suoh had called Riku into his office before school had started to debrief her on her mission, if you could even call it that. He'd spent the entire school day making sure she understood that she was posing as a student because a 'wild girl running around with a Glock' would frighten the other students. Riku had graciously informed him that she used twin pistols, not a Glock. Suoh didn't find that amusing. He had grimaced and told her to make sure she brought no attention to herself whatsoever.

He was blatantly annoyed. "You knew that we had school uniforms here,"

"Yeah, but I didn't know I'd have to _wear_ one." Riku whined. She snatched a stress ball off of his desk and began to toss it up in the air and catch it, repeating the process obnoxiously.

"Miss Karasu, I called you in here to give you your class schedule. Not to fool around with my office supplies."

Riku put down the ball and let out a loud, exaggerated sigh. She slouched down in her chair so much that she almost slid out of it. It was becoming fairly obvious that her jerky teenager attitude wouldn't blow over very well with all of these rich people.

Suoh continued. "My son, Tamaki, and Kyouya Ootori will be making sure you get settled. They both know why you are here and what you are capable of, however, they don't know that you're the Raven, and I'd like to keep it that way."

Riku rolled her eyes. As if she would _want _to tell anyone that she was a criminal. That's exactly how a few of her cohorts had ended up in prison.

There was a knock the Chairman's door. Tamaki and Kyouya themselves entered the room, looking sharp and spiffy in their school uniforms. Riku couldn't help but be a little jealous.

"Ah, boys," The Chairman said, glad that he wouldn't have to babysit her for much longer. "This is Riku Karasu."

Riku glanced their way and nodded coolly. Chairman Suoh frowned out a habit and continued, addressing the two boys. "I trust that you two will show Miss Karasu where all her classes are and answer any questions she may have."

Kyouya nodded. "Of course,"

"We'll make her feel right at home!" Tamaki smiled welcomingly.

Luckily for him, Tamaki was oblivious to the sharp look Riku sent him.

"Well, Miss Karasu, classes are over for now, so you three are free to go. You will be attending lessons tomorrow, however, and I'll expect you to be on your best behavior." Suoh smiled, but Riku could see the doubt in his face. She gave him a strange look.

With that Suoh dismissed the three students from his office, Kyouya seeming indifferent, Tamaki nearly bursting with excitement, and Riku grimacing with annoyance. Yuzuru had a sick feeling that she was more trouble than she was worth. He hoped that Yoshio's police force would apprehend Kyofu soon so he could _finally_ get the Raven arrested. By now, he believed, she'd performed enough crimes to give her the death sentence. Then he wouldn't have to worry about her anymore.

XXX

"My dear, when I first heard you would be coming to our wonderful school, I knew you'd be lovelier than even the most beautiful flower. So I brought you this." Tamaki flashed a dazzling smile and handed Riku a pink rose.

She felt like she'd been slapped; only it didn't hurt. "You've got to be kidding me," She scoffed, but she accepted the rose. It had been a very _very _long time since Riku had gotten a compliment. "Um, thanks?" She added uncomfortably. She was trying to be as impassive as possible, but the guy had just called her beautiful. She didn't want to be rude.

Although, sometimes, being rude was the only option. Riku was constantly pushing people away, no matter how much she liked them. She knew that if a person found out too much about you, they could destroy you. That's why she stayed alone for the most part. And that's why, she decided, she would try to ditch these rich boys before she got in trouble.

But first, she needed to find something out. "Hey, Ootori,"

The boy with dark hair glanced at her. "Yes?"

"You're Kyouya, right? Or did Yoshio have a fourth son that he didn't tell me about?"

"You know my father?" He said, skeptical.

"I may be young, but I've had a lot of business with important people." Riku said, trying to sound as cryptic as she could. "Not good business. Do you care about your dad?"

Kyouya frowned down at Riku. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

Riku disregarded his question. "Thank you, you've given me some very valuable information. And I'm apologizing in advance."

She turned to Tamaki, leaving Kyouya frowning. "What time does your Host Club open, Suoh?"

He had been fantasizing with a dreamy smile on his face. He snapped out of it with a jolt and rounded on Riku. "Are you thinking of stopping by? We'd love for you to come!" Tamaki exclaimed, invading her personal space and grinning expectantly. He reminded Riku of a golden retriever.

"Just answer the question," Riku said sharply, not amused by his dog-like behavior.

Tamaki immediately backed off and went to crouch in a corner, a dark cloud passing over him. He frowned bitterly as he stared at the ground.

"What the-?" Riku rumbled. "What is he doing?"

"Club hours start in twenty minutes," Kyouya aided, sensing that Riku was getting impatient.

She turned toward him with a single eyebrow raised. "Thanks,"

And before anyone could say anything else, she left without a trace.

XXX

Stealth. It was one of the very first things the Raven had learned. It was the reason she was almost never seen. Stealth was so crucial, so important, that she had been determined to master it. And when she did, she no longer had to rely on strength or weapons to survive.

And it made super easy to sneak away from people completely unnoticed.

She sat on the roof of the school with her legs folded underneath her. Immensely aware of the fact that one wrong move would send her sliding of the edge of the building, she carefully pulled a cigarette lighter out of her shoe (since the girls' uniform had no pockets) and flicked it on. Riku didn't even smoke; she just liked to burn things.

"Suoh is a fool," She mumbled to herself. "He brought a trigger-happy pyromaniac into his very own private academy. How idiotic could you be? Not even _I _would hire me."

Riku's eyes drifted to the pink rose Tamaki had given her. She hadn't realized she brought it. If Tamaki knew that she was the one who almost shot him—the Raven—would he have still treated her that way? Probably not. Riku sighed.

And that dark-haired one, Ootori's son. He had barely spoken to her, but he'd still piqued Riku's interest. He seemed like someone who was hard to figure out, and he was very nice to look at too. But Riku knew better than to mess with the Ootori's. They were just bad news, and if she wasn't working for Yoshio and Suoh, both men would be trying to throw her in prison. They were ruthless, and they weren't afraid to use their status to get what they wanted. Besides, Riku had seen mild recognition in Kyouya's eyes when he looked at her. That wasn't a good sign.

But still, she couldn't help but wish that Kyouya had given her the rose instead of Tamaki. Silently, she held the lighter's flame to the wilting pink petals and watched as the beautiful flower burned.

XXX

"I think I might vomit." Riku muttered, her eyes wide.

She had slipped into the 3rd Music room completely unnoticed. Leaning against the big double doors, she observed the scene with skepticism. Riku hadn't known what a host club was, and she hadn't bothered to find out; so now that she was there, she felt like collapsing to the ground in hysterics at the strangeness of it all. She couldn't find anyone who was even remotely normal.

There was Honey and Mori, also known as the sickeningly adorable shota and the daunting stoic. Then there were the incestuous ginger twins, Hikaru and Kaoru. They were Hitachiins, Riku thought. She'd heard of them, or rather, their mom. After that was Haruhi, the girly-looking boy (or boyish-looking girl, depending how you looked at it) who seemed a little bit cynical and very popular among the hosts and girls alike. Next came Tamaki, who may have been charming, but he was just a little too flamboyant for Riku's taste. It became evident very quickly that he wasn't too bright, but everyone treated him like the leader. And last but not least was Kyouya, who seemed so perfect and so without idiosyncrasies, that he may have been the strangest one of all.

Riku knew that her analysis of the Host Club would be just another unpopular opinion. The dozens of girls in the club room obviously saw these quirks as endearing. They crowded around their respective hosts with grins and giggles of mirth and excitement. It was the boys' abnormity combined with their extremely good looks that attracted the girls, and Riku could see the reasoning behind this, but a whole club devoted to this was just ridiculous.

Yeah, admittedly, being average was boring, but all of this personality under one roof was making Riku legitimately ill. Maybe it was just a rich person thing.

She moved to take a seat in one of the many big, comfy chairs. Still, no one knew she was there. Good. Hopefully no one would bother her.

Riku pulled a novel out of her bag and settled down. She tried to concentrate on reading, she really did, but somehow she found herself glancing up and looking at the hosts, Kyouya in particular. He seemed to be picking his way around the Host Club, not entertaining guests himself, but making sure that everyone was happy. It also seemed like he was trying to… sell something? For some odd reason, this made Riku want to laugh.

She turned her attention back to her book, a smile on her face. A few pages later, she glanced up again. Kyouya was looking at her from the opposite side of the little table.

"Miss Karasu, you're obviously not seeing a host," He said, his tone borderline hostile. "So why areyou here?"

Riku shrugged, ignoring his attitude. "Suoh Senior asked me to keep an eye on Prince Charming over here," She nodded towards Tamaki. "Just following orders."

Kyouya's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "You were told to be here?" He said as if that were impossible.

Riku frowned and didn't break eye contact. "I get the feeling that you think I'm untrustworthy."

"You wouldn't be wrong,"

Riku was taken aback. People weren't usually so open about their distaste for her. "You don't even know me. How can you think that?"

"Because you're not really Riku Karasu." Kyouya said, a slight frown coming to his face.

Riku's heart began to thud in her chest. She wanted to scream, yell, or run away. This was worse than bad. At that very moment she wanted to be anywhere else in the world, but she made sure her face was blank and expressionless. "What would give you that idea?"

"Riku Karasu doesn't exist." He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.

She scowled at Kyouya. Riku only had two options: deny everything, or play along. Both could end very badly. Both could end up saving her.

Making up her mind, she leaned forward and flashed a wicked smile. "Alright Ootori. If I'm not really Riku, then who exactly am I?"

Now it was his turn to smirk. "I've done a little research. I'm guessing you're familiar with the infamous con artist known as The Raven,"

Impassiveness was the key. "Yeah, and?"

"You may also know that nearly one year ago, The Raven robbed the First Bank of Japan in Tokyo. A civilian who happened to be there at the wrong time pulled a pocket knife on her and managed to cut her wrist pretty deeply. A witness claimed that The Raven was bleeding profusely and only escaped with half the money she demanded. She was in obvious pain. A cut like that would leave a pretty nasty scar, wouldn't it Miss Karasu?"

Riku bit her lip at the memory. There would be no getting out of this one. Kyouya had her trapped. He knew it, she knew it.

"If you don't mind, Miss Karasu," He continued. "Would you show me your right wrist?"

Riku didn't have a choice. Slowly, she obeyed, rolling up her sleeve and displaying the ugly mark that marred her brown skin. "This doesn't prove anything." She murmured lamely, not meeting his eyes. "I fell of my bike once. That's where this is from."

"Well," Kyouya said, standing up to leave. "That may be so… But you're not fooling anyone with that last name of yours, Riku. Everyone knows what Karasu means."

**XXXX**

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed :D Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Riku smirked down at the middle aged woman, relishing the warm feeling of power and superiority she had at that moment. Playing God always gave her a high.

The woman began to pack her things into her glossy car, oblivious to Riku, who was perched on the SUV's roof. In plain daylight, Riku found it so hilarious that the broad hadn't seen her that she almost laughed out loud. Stupidity seemed to be a trend with rich people.

Riku was dressed in her 'Raven Uniform'. She hated how female villains in movies were always so scantily clad in skintight leather. Sure, tight clothes were a must (so loose material wouldn't get snagged on anything) but the outfits were never sexy. Riku stuck to black pants made out of a very breathable elastic fabric and a black fitted t-shirt. Sometimes she wore a hoodie if it was cold or if she wanted to hide her hair. And most importantly, she wore a domino mask to keep her face hidden. The simple mask was actually a lot more affective then she'd ever thought it would be, so Riku sort of stuck with it.

By now, the woman had finished putting her things into the backseat. It was now or never.

Riku dropped down silently behind her. She quickly clamped her hand down on the woman's mouth, anticipating a scream as she pressed one of her twin pistols to the woman's temple.

"Hello there," Riku murmured sweetly. It had become a habit of hers to become her most pleasant self when she was threatening someone. "Look, I don't want to hurt you, I really don't. But I need you to give me all the money you have on you right now, or else. Keep in mind that there aren't any cameras around…"

The woman nodded vigorously with wide eyes. Riku smiled.

"Good! Now, I'm going to let go of you. I want you to open your car door and get everything out. Don't think about trying anything. I don't miss when I shoot."

Riku slowly let the woman loose. She was ghostly white and trembling. Riku would have felt bad for her, but there wasn't any time for compassion in this her line of work.

The woman thrust her purse towards Riku, who snatched it away. "I-I know you…" The woman stuttered. "You-you're the Raven!"

"Shut up!" Riku hissed. "Shut up or I'll shoot. Is this all you have?"

"Yes! I swear."

Riku grimaced as she holstered her pistol and disappeared, leaving the woman leaning against her car in weakness.

XXX

"Did you guys hear about that robbery last night?" One of the twins—Riku thought it was Hikaru—said.

"It's been said that it was _the actual _Raven that did it." Kaoru added.

"I wonder what a big-time criminal like the Raven is doing robbing teachers in school parking lots." They said together, cocking their heads to the side in wonder.

Riku smiled bitterly from her seat next to Mori. She liked him a lot; mostly because he didn't talk much, which meant he didn't annoy her.

After the first day, the Hosts became very welcoming of Riku. They chatted with her and asked her questions, which was something Riku didn't expect (most of the people she fraternized with _loved _to talk about themselves.) They were a very diverse group, and all of them had their faults, but Riku couldn't find one person in that room that she didn't like even a little bit, despite her previous negative analysis of the club.

"Well," Riku began, addressing the twins. "Maybe the Raven wanted an easy job or something. And plus, I heard that teacher was pretty wealthy, considering her father was the owner of that one production company."

Honey eyes widened as he listened to Riku speak. "But Ri-chan, the Raven doesn't usually steal from _people_. She likes to rob banks and stuff, isn't that right Takashi?"

Mori nodded.

"Yeah, the Raven's too awesome for minor stuff like that," The twins said.

Riku looked at them earnestly. "Oh yeah, I agree." She didn't miss the warning look Kyouya sent her from his spot across from Tamaki. She smirked before continuing. "But I think you don't realize how many small robberies she really commits, because they're not in the papers and on the news like this one."

"Then how do you know, sempai?" Haruhi asked, joining the discussion. She—Riku decided she was a 'she', even though she was wearing a boys' uniform—was carrying a tray with several cups of tea on it.

Riku declined when Haruhi offered her a cup, and said, "I used to live in a bad neighborhood. One that the Raven frequented a lot. I was a witness quite a few times actually."

"You mean you saw the Raven in person before, Ri-chan?"

"That's right Honey-sempai. Let me tell you something," Everyone leaned in towards Riku, with the exception of Kyouya, who was on his laptop, and Tamaki, who was sulking because of something Haruhi said to him earlier. "Witnessing the Raven attack someone is actually one of the most amazing things I've seen. She's terrifyingly quick, and most of the time, you can't even see her, even in the middle of the day. She just sneaks up on people."

"I don't see how you can talk about her like she's a goddess." Haruhi frowned a little bit. "She's a thief, a con-artist, a criminal. The Raven isn't a good person."

Normally, when Riku heard these things about herself, she liked to laugh or shrug it off. But this time… it felt different. It felt like Haruhi was spitting at her, insulting her and calling her a terrible person. Riku could easily ignore the television reporters that called her those things, but there was just something about being told off to her face that made it hurt.

Riku casually inspected her nails, but her voice came off weaker than she wanted it to. "Well… I don't think the raven _wanted _to live the way she's living. I don't think she had a choice."

Riku continued to stare at her fingernails silently, as the other Hosts avidly continued the conversation. She glanced up to see Kyouya watching her, the vaguest look of wonder on his face. Riku immediately averted her eyes.

"Miss Karasu," A weary voice said from behind them, a few minutes later.

Riku turned in her chair to see Chairman Suoh's assistant, Michio Kawazu, standing in front of the music room's big double doors. He looked nervous and mousy, but then again, he always did.

"Yeah?"

"Um, Chairman Suoh would like to see you in his office…" Kawazu squeaked.

"God dammit," Riku ran a hand through her dark hair. "What did I do _now_?"

"Just moment," Kawazu held up a finger. "He needs to see you, Mr. Ootori, too."

Riku looked over at Kyouya, a single eyebrow raised. He looked just as puzzled as she did, but he stood up and started towards the door. Riku got up and followed him, shrugging at the other hosts' questioning looks.

XXX

Riku and Kyouya stood side-by-side in the Chairman's office, facing Yuzuru with blank expressions. Yuzuru himself looked even more tired than he had before, his face a little bit red and flustered looking. He glowered at Riku and sighed.

"Hello children," He began. "You may already be aware, but there was a robbery on campus last night. Many have said it was in fact the notorious Raven, but I know that isn't true. Miss Karasu." He said, giving Riku a pointed look.

"Whoa, whoa, Yuzuru. There's no need for pretending in front of this one." Riku put her hands on her hips and glanced at Kyouya. "Ootori claims to have me all figured out."

"You told him you're the Raven?" Suoh was suddenly furious.

"I simply put the pieces together," Kyouya said. "It wasn't very difficult."

"Yeah, I didn't tell him shit,"

"Miss Karasu, watch your language!" The Chairman didn't seem to be calming down.

"I don't think you want to mess with me, Suoh." Riku hissed in a dangerously low voice. "I'm not the same as when you saw me a year ago. I'll do things I wouldn't do before."

They stared at each other, each refusing to break eye contact. Suoh glared at Riku as if she were scum; she sent him an acrimonious frown, a growl forming in her chest.

"Okay, let's slow down," Suoh said, taking a deep breath and looking away. "I need to sort this out. Is it not true that you committed the robbery last night?"

"That depends," Riku grimaced, still fuming. "Do you have proof that I did?"

"Yes, actually," Yuzuru's tone was bitter. "You may not know, but we have 24-hour video surveillance here at Ouran."

"No way! I did a perimeter check for video cameras yesterday after school, and I didn't find any. You're lying."

"Or perhaps you just didn't search hard enough, Miss Karasu."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Alright, say that I did do it. What's it to you?"

"Well, it has come to my attention that you are not trustworthy enough to be allowed to roam the campus alone. The teacher you mugged is traumatized, students are becoming fearful, and you're doing the opposite of what I'd hoped you would do. So, it looks like you need to be watched. That's where you come in, Kyouya."

Kyouya's eyes widened ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, sir?"

"I'm appointing you as Karasu's warden, Mr. Ootori. It will be your job to make sure she stays out of trouble, as well as making sure she leaves school grounds and gets home safely—without causing any misfortune—every day after school."

"No," Riku said bluntly. "Absolutely not."

"I agree." Kyouya said immediately. "I don't have time for that. And why would you choose me to do it, sir? Why not have Tamaki chauffeur her around? He'd be willing, I'm sure. Or perhaps an actual police officer."

"Oh, I can answer that one," Riku chimed in, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's because Tamaki—and literally everyone else in the world—is too easy to manipulate. I've already conned him into letting me copy his homework every day; I'd have him whipped after an hour."

"You however, Kyouya, are very reliable, and I know that you're too smart to fall for any tricks that may be thrown your way." Yuzuru added, nodding.

"Chairman Suoh, I don't—"

"You don't have an option, Kyouya. I'm giving you this assignment whether you like it or not." Suoh said firmly.

"But sir—"

"No, Kyouya. You two are excused."

Kyouya nodded with narrowed eyes and turned to leave. He didn't even wait for Riku, who had to jog a little bit to catch up, being so much shorter than him. Kyouya didn't even glance her way when she fell into step beside him.

"You're mad," She said.

"I'm not mad,"

"Well, you're obviously not happy with this arrangement. Don't get me wrong, I'm probably more upset than you are. But moping isn't going to help us get out of it, is it?"

Now, Kyouya looked at her. "You're going to get out of it?"

"No," Riku grinned mischievously. "_We're _going to get out of it, together, because I need your help."

Kyouya didn't say anything, so she continued. "Aren't you tired of being told what to do? I've heard of you Ootori, and I know for a fact that you're way more cunning than any adult I've met, your father included. You can do whatever you want and yet you don't. I'd be planning world domination if I had your smarts and wealth."

And then he laughed. The sound hit Riku like a punch in the gut. "That's not going to work, Miss Karasu. I'm not Tamaki. You're going to have to try harder if you want to manipulate me."

"Damn," Riku murmured.

"Don't feel bad,"

Riku pouted despite his words. "Can you take me home now?" She said, crossing her arms. Her failure had immediately put her into a dark mood. _It looks like I'm gonna have to follow Suoh's orders until I can get an ally. _She added in her mind.

"Fine," Kyouya said, aggravated after being reminded of his new job. "I'll call a car."

XXX

At first, Riku had given Kyouya's driver the directions to a hotel that she'd been staying at. But after starting to feel carsick and wishing she was on Yuki's motorcycle, she realized that she hadn't been home in three entire days. Yuki was probably furious with her.

Kyouya watched Riku as she urgently leaned forward and gave the driver a new address. He hadn't been able to get a very good look at her until now. Up until then, Kyouya thought Riku was completely American, but now he could see that she was mixed; probably half African-American and half Japanese, judging from the creamy brown color of her skin and the Asian features of her face. Her hair had been straight the day before, but today it had become a thick mass of dark ringlets that rolled down her back. And at first glance, Riku's eyes looked yellow, but they were really just so light brown that it seemed like they were the color of amber. Her eyes were big too; not like Haruhi's or Honey's, but they were still wide and alert.

"Why do you it?" Kyouya wondered so softly and suddenly that at first, Riku didn't realize he was talking to her.

"Karasu," He said, trying to get her attention.

"Hm?"

"I find it foolish how you steal from others for personal gain. I don't understand how you can do that so shamelessly."

Riku's mouth twitched. "You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you, because you've always had everything handed to you on a silver platter. I have to eat. I have to survive, Ootori, this ia how I do it. Of course you don't understand."

"But why don't you get money legally and save yourself the trouble?"

"Because I don't know any other way," Riku leaned her forehead against the seat in front of her. The nausea was really getting to her. "Don't you think I've asked myself that before? I have, so many times. But it's too late. I've dug myself in way to deeply and I'm never going to get myself out, so why bother following the rules when I've broken so many that I'm just going to be sentenced to death anyway."

Kyouya was silent for a few moments, before saying, "I hope that last part was a metaphor,"

"I hope it was too,"

**XXX**

**A/N: I guess I never really introduced this fic… Well, here we go!**

**Basically, it's about how true love doesn't judge people based on what they've done and how people from different worlds can still relate to each other and be friends. (I'm so sorry the themes are really cliché but I'm hoping the way I execute the story is unique enough to make up for it.) Anyway, as I mentioned before it contains violence and guns so beware, and also the use of the S-word and the B-word, and the A-word, and eventually I'll probably drop an F-bomb in there somewhere, but I'll be sure to let you know first.**

**Also, I think it's a sign that the Ravens won the Super Bowl. Does it mean that**_** the**_** Raven a.k.a Riku will **_**win**__**the entire world**_**? Hmm…**

**Thanks for reading! :D**


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